We got some downpour this morning, all right, but there is patchy sunlight doing combat with the next wave of gray clouds over the Western ocean. Poor Maggie the Dog has had to spend most of the morning inside, which bores her into apathetic silence. We are confident we will be back in the arms of Mother Sunlight in another day or two, so we are cheerful about the opportunity to actually set a fire in the fireplace for a change.

I am happy to report based on recent experience that there is a lively and lovely younger generation of songwriters and singers coming up through the hard ranks of showcases and open mics here in Southern California. Last night at a downtown Whiskey Bar a showcase went down that had the joint jumping with bright, creative original and driving music backed up by only one or two guitars and perhaps a drum or mouthharp. The future looks bright!